Toronto

What Toronto's event calendar covers

Toronto supports more major professional teams than any other Canadian city, and most of them play within a short walk of Union Station. The Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) and Toronto Raptors (NBA) share Scotiabank Arena; the Toronto Blue Jays (MLB) play under the retractable roof of the Rogers Centre at the foot of the CN Tower; and the Toronto Argonauts (CFL) and Toronto FC (MLS) play at BMO Field at Exhibition Place. In 2026 the WNBA's Toronto Tempo began play at the Coca-Cola Coliseum, which is also home to the AHL's Toronto Marlies and the PWHL's Toronto Sceptres.

Beyond sports, Toronto has one of the largest commercial theater scenes in North America, a summer amphitheater on the lake, historic concert halls and a comedy circuit that has fed television on both sides of the border for decades.

• Hockey and basketball: Leafs and Raptors, roughly October through April.
• Baseball: Blue Jays, April through September.
• Canadian football and soccer: Argonauts in summer and fall; Toronto FC from late winter into fall.
• Film: the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), 11 days starting the Thursday after Labour Day in September.

Concerts in Toronto, from the arena to Massey Hall

Concerts in Toronto spread across a clear set of venue sizes, and each one suits a different kind of tour.

Arena and stadium

Scotiabank Arena (opened 1999 under the Air Canada name, about 19,800 for concerts) takes the largest indoor tours. The 100 level wraps the floor and the 300 level sits above the suites; for an end-stage show, the 100-level sections along the sides are the best combination of distance and angle. The Rogers Centre (opened 1989 as SkyDome) hosts stadium tours; after its 2022–24 renovations, its baseball capacity is about 41,500.

The summer amphitheater

The RBC Amphitheatre at Ontario Place, known as Budweiser Stage from 2017 to 2025 and originally the Molson Amphitheatre, opened in 1995 with a covered reserved-seat section and an open lawn behind it. It runs a summer season of rock, pop and country tours. As of 2025, it was expected to close for redevelopment in fall 2027 and return as a year-round venue around 2030, so check which season you are buying for.

Halls and theaters

Massey Hall (opened 1894, a National Historic Site) reopened in 2021 after a long renovation and now seats about 2,534, or 2,800 with standing room; it is prized for its acoustics, and the new TD Music Hall upstairs holds a few hundred. Roy Thomson Hall (1982, 2,630 seats) is the home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The Coca-Cola Coliseum at Exhibition Place, with about 9,700 seats, books mid-size tours between hockey and basketball dates.

For "concerts tonight" in Toronto, Massey Hall and smaller club rooms are more likely to have same-day seats than Scotiabank Arena, where big tours tend to sell well ahead.

Comedy shows in Toronto

Toronto's comedy history is unusually deep. Yuk Yuk's started here in 1976, The Second City's Toronto company opened in 1972 and produced SCTV, and the city still supports stand-up, improv and sketch every night of the week.

• Yuk Yuk's is Canada's national comedy club chain, founded in Toronto by Mark Breslin and Joel Axler and first staged in a Church Street basement. The Toronto club runs a weekly mix that includes an amateur night, midweek showcases and Friday and Saturday headliners, with late shows on weekends.
• The Second City Toronto stages scripted sketch revues on its Mainstage and additional shows in a smaller room called Theatre '73, with a training center on site. Its alumni include John Candy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara and Mike Myers.
• Comedy Bar runs two stages, at 945 Bloor Street West and 2800 Danforth Avenue, seven nights a week, with sketch, improv, alternative and stand-up programming.
• Touring headliners play the larger halls such as Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall, and the biggest names play Scotiabank Arena.

Weeknight club shows rarely sell out far ahead, while Friday and Saturday headliners and the Second City Mainstage revue on weekends are the dates to book early.

Where to sit at Toronto's stadiums and arenas

Scotiabank Arena

For a Leafs game, the lower 100 level along the sides is the premium area, and the upper 300 level corners give a full view of the ice at lower demand pressure. For the Raptors, courtside and the lower sidelines command the highest prices; the first rows of the 300 level at center court see the whole floor. The Leafs have won the Stanley Cup 13 times, though not since 1967, and the Raptors won the 2019 NBA championship, both of which keep demand high in any season.

Rogers Centre

The Blue Jays, back-to-back World Series champions in 1992 and 1993 and American League pennant winners in 2025, play under the first fully retractable motorized roof in the major leagues. The 2022–24 renovation turned outfield seats toward home plate and added social spaces with bars in the 500 level, the highest deck. Because the roof can close, rain rarely threatens a game, which makes the Blue Jays one of the safer outdoor-season bookings for a trip planned months ahead.

BMO Field

The open-air stadium at Exhibition Place was renovated in 2014–16 with an east upper deck and a roof over most seats, raising capacity to about 30,000 for soccer and 26,500 for CFL games. The Argonauts, founded in 1873 and winners of a record 19 Grey Cups, moved here from the Rogers Centre in 2016.

Theater and the calendar through the year

Mirvish Productions, the largest commercial theater company in Canada, operates four downtown houses: the Royal Alexandra Theatre, the Princess of Wales Theatre (about 2,000 seats, opened 1993), the Ed Mirvish Theatre and the CAA Theatre, the last two on Yonge Street. Broadway tours and long-running sit-down productions play here year-round.

• Fall: TIFF in September, the start of Leafs and Raptors seasons, and late-season Blue Jays and Argonauts games.
• Winter: hockey and basketball most nights, holiday shows at the Mirvish theaters and indoor concerts.
• Spring: NHL and NBA playoffs in qualifying years, Blue Jays Opening Day and the start of the MLS season.
• Summer: the amphitheater season at Ontario Place, Blue Jays home stands and Argonauts games at BMO Field.

Leafs playoff games are the hardest ticket in the city, and regular-season games against long-standing rivals such as the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators sell faster than most. Weekend dates across every sport move first.

Getting around and where to stay

Union Station is the center of the event map. It links the TTC subway with GO Transit regional trains, connects underground to Scotiabank Arena, and joins the Rogers Centre through the enclosed SkyWalk, part of the PATH network of downtown walkways. In winter, that means you can reach both venues from many downtown hotels without going outside.

• Scotiabank Arena and Rogers Centre (South Core and the waterfront): hotels around Union Station and Front Street put you within a walk of both; Maple Leaf Square beside the arena is the pregame gathering spot.
• Mirvish theaters, Roy Thomson Hall and comedy clubs (Entertainment District): King Street West and the surrounding blocks hold most of the theaters and a heavy concentration of restaurants.
• Massey Hall (Garden District): at Shuter and Victoria Streets, just east of Yonge Street, close to the Yonge Street theaters.
• BMO Field, Coca-Cola Coliseum and the RBC Amphitheatre (Exhibition Place and Ontario Place): west of downtown along the lakeshore; plan on transit or a longer walk, and expect heavy crowds after games and summer concerts.
• Comedy Bar (Bloor West and the Danforth): both locations sit along the TTC's Bloor–Danforth subway corridor, outside the downtown core.

Tips for visitors from the US and elsewhere

• Bring a passport. US visitors need valid travel documents to enter Canada; check current Canadian border requirements before you travel.
• Expect Canadian dollars. Listings and venue concessions in Toronto are generally priced in Canadian dollars; read the currency on any listing before you compare options.
• Pack small for the arena. As of 2025, Scotiabank Arena allowed only small purses, clutches or fanny packs smaller than about 6.5 by 4.5 inches (16.5 by 11.5 cm), with a paid bag check nearby. Check the Scotiabank Arena bag policy before you go.
• Plan for weather. Winters are cold and snowy, which favors venues reachable through PATH; summer amphitheater and BMO Field crowds should prepare for heat and rain.
• Check the date twice. Every GoodSeats order is backed by a 100% guarantee, and it still pays to confirm the date, since TIFF week and summer weekends fill downtown hotels quickly.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Toronto
• Wikipedia – Scotiabank Arena
• Scotiabank Arena – Bag Policy
• Scotiabank Arena – Getting Here
• Wikipedia – Rogers Centre
• Wikipedia – BMO Field
• Wikipedia – Coca-Cola Coliseum
• Wikipedia – RBC Amphitheatre
• Wikipedia – Massey Hall
• Wikipedia – Roy Thomson Hall
• Wikipedia – Mirvish Productions
• Wikipedia – Toronto International Film Festival